Effective methods for the recovery and/or separation of particular ions such as certain transition metal ions present as complex anions, of which CrO.sub.4.sup.2-, RuCl.sub.6.sup.3-, PtCl.sub.6.sup.2-, RhCl.sub.6.sup.3-, IrCl.sub.6.sup.3-, PdCl.sub.4.sup.2-, AsO.sub.3.sup.3-, AsO.sub.4.sup.3-, SeO.sub.4.sup.2-, IO.sub.3.sup.-, TcO.sub.4.sup.- and IO.sub.4.sup.- are illustrative, from other ions such as H.sup.+, Na.sup.+, K.sup.+, Mg.sup.2+, Ca.sup.`+, Fe.sup.3+, Cl.sup.-, NO.sub.3.sup.- and Br.sup.- and the recovery and/or separation of the desired anions from other ions in water supplies, waste solutions, and other streams, particularly those which contain large amounts of H.sup.+, represent a real need in modern technology. These ions are often present at low concentrations in solutions containing other ions at much greater concentrations. Hence, there is a real need for a process to selectively concentrate and recover these ions.
It is known that polytetraalkylammonium and protonated polytrialkylammonium-containing hydrocarbon ligands present as solutes in a solvent such as water, are characterized by their ability to selectively form strong bonds with certain anions in forming precipitates and ion pairs when both the ligand and anion are present as solutes in the same solvent, even in the presence of relatively large amounts of H.sup.+, and other common cations such as Na.sup.+, K.sup.+, Mg.sup.2+, Ca.sup.2+, and Fe.sup.3+, and anions such as Cl.sup.-, NO.sub.3.sup.- and Br.sup.-. However, researchers have not previously been able to incorporate polytetraalkylammonium and protonated polytrialkylamine-containing hydrocarbon ligands into separation systems where the behavior of the polytetraalkylammonium and protonated polytrialkylamine-containing ligands in the separation systems, in comparison to that of the polytetraalkylammonium and protonated polytrialkylamine-containing ligand as a solute, is very similar and the polytetraalkylammonium and protonated polytrialkylamine-containing ligand will remain in the separation system covalently bonded to an inorganic solid support such as silica gel. Articles such as those entitled Silane Compounds for Silylating Surfaces by E. P. Plueddemann, in "Silanes, Surfaces and Interfaces Symposium, Sowmass, 1985," Ed. by D. E. Leyden, Gordon and Breach, Publishers, 1986, pp. 1-25 and Silane Coupling Agents by E. P. Plueddemann, Plenum Press, 1982, pp. 1-235 list many different types of organic materials which have been attached to silane compounds and discusses some of their properties. The preparation and uses of polytetraalkylammonium and protonated polytrialkylamine-containing hydrocarbons attached to hydrophilic solid supports such as silica have not been disclosed in the above mentioned articles or in any existing patents. Representative of a book reviewing the many reported attachments of single tetraalkylammonium-containing hydrocarbons to hydrophobic polymers is Ion Exchange in Analytical Chemistry by H. F. Walton and R. D. Rocklin, CRC Press, 1990. Representative of articles describing the attachment of single tetraalkylammonium-containing hydrocarbons involving a benzyl group as one of the alkyl groups are Preparation and Chromatographic Evaluation of Chemically Bonded Ion-Exchange Stationary Phase I. Strong Anion Exchanger by P. A. Asmus, C. E. Lov, and M. Novotny in Journal of Chromatography, 123(1976) p. 25; and Comparison of New High Capacity Ion Exchange Silicas of the Spherosil Type and Normal Microparticulate Ion Exchange of the Polystyrene Divinylbenzene Type in High Performance Liquid Chromatography by M. Caude and R. Rosset in Journal of Chromatographic Science, 15(1977) p.405. However, the materials described in these patents have only typical anion exchange properties with relatively low selectivity (compared to the multiple tetraalkylammonium and protonated trialkylamine hydrocarbons of this application) as well as reduced and altered complexing properties due to the hydrophobic support and/or proximity of a benzene ring in the hydrocarbon. Thus, the unique complexing properties of certain polytetraalkylammonium and protonated polytrialkylamine-containing hydrocarbons and the ability to attach these polytetraalkylammonium and polytrialkylamine-containing complexing agents to inorganic solid supports such as sand or silica gel without reducing their ability to complex certain ions has heretofore been unknown, but has been found to be of utmost importance in the industrial use of the polytetraalkylammonium and protonated polytrialkylamine-containing hydrocarbon ligands. Articles and patents describing the attachment of stable polyamines to hydrophilic supports such as silica gel and their use in both protonated and non-protonated form in separating ions include the previously cited articles by E. P. Plueddemann as well as Bradshaw et. al., Process of Removing and Concentrating Desired Ions From Solutions, U.S. Pat. No. 4,952,321 which issued Aug. 28, 1990; S. H. Chang, K. M. Gooding, and F. E. Regnier in Use of Oxiranes in the Preparation of Bonded Phase Supports, Journal of Chromatography, vol. 120, pp. 321-333 (1976); and M-A Bagnoud, J-L Veuthey, and W. Haerdi in Interactions Silice Metallique-Solute: Possibilite d'Applications en Preconcentration en Chromographic d'Echange de Ligands (LEC), Chimica, vol.40, pp.432-434 (1986). In acidic solution protonated polyamines are capable of interacting with anions. However, in some desired separations the ability of a polyamine to form both coordination complexes and protonated interactive complexes with anions is a hinderance in obtaining the desired and needed selectivity with particular anion(s) of interest. This along with the ability of the polytetraalkylammonium ligands ability to interact with anions under a variety of pH (acidic, neutral, and basic) conditions make their use important and significantly different relative to the polyamines described. The protonated polytrialkylamine ligands have properties intermediate between the protonated polyamines described previously and polytetraalkylammonium ligands. These intermediate properties involving some coordination chemistry are sometimes optimal for making a particular separation. The unique complexing properties of the polytetraalkylammonium and polytrialkylamine-containing ligands as attached to appropriate inorganic solid supports is the subject of the present invention.